Delena Meets the Ninth Doctor
by gonnahaveagreatday
Summary: The Ninth Doctor needs to rewrite time, and enlists the help of an old friend. But she doesn't remember him. He wore a different face last time they met. All is well until the next big problem arises. She might not be alive very much longer.
1. The Meeting

The doorbell rang and Elena went to open it, after seeing a grinning, big-eared man in the eye-hole. She opened it, her fingers on the wood of the door, prepared to close it again if need be.

"Hello, um, who are you?" She asked suspiciously. Soon she heard Damon come in the room from their bedroom.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor." The man replied, sounding out the syllables in his name with a vague accent, and looking at Elena as if he knew her.

"Hi, I'm Elena." Elena said, Damon came around the corner and came into the Doctor's sight. "This is my boyfriend Damon." She introduced. The Doctor looked from Elena to Damon with surprise, seemingly meriting Damon's suspicious look as well.

"Boyfriend? Lovely. Boyfriends are good." He replied happily. Damon smiled

"First time I've heard that." Damon said. The Doctor looked at him.

"Why?"

"Well, everyone around here seems to think I'm a dick." Damon replied. Elena looked away in begrudged silence for those people. The Doctor looked at Damon seriously.

"Well, I'm not from around her." He said.

"That's obvious." Elena noted, and after receiving a weird look, gestured to his clothes. The Doctor pulled on his leather jacket.

"What is this not in style anymore?" The Doctor asked in concern. Elena laughed again and Damon smiled.

"Leather jackets are always in style, my friend, if not I don't want to live on this planet anymore." He replied.

"You and me both." The Doctor said with a grin. Elena and Damon looked at eachother and the Doctor looked at the both of them. "Sorry," He began, attracting Elena's attention again. "but can I come in?" He asked. Elena and Damon looked at eachother again.

"Are you a vampire?" She asked in confusion?" The Doctor looked at them like they were crazy.

"What, do I have to be one to get in?" He asked. Elena shook her head and gestured him inside, Damon turning the other way so the Doctor had enough room to get in the entrance. They turned to eachother and Elena stared at him.

"So, you're alright with vampires?" She asked, Damon looked at her guardedly and she stuttered on her words. "That's if you even believe they exist." She laughed. The Doctor grinned and nodded.

"Yes I'm alright with vampires, and yes I believe they exist. I've met some actually, besides the two of you." He replied matter-of-factly.

"How do you know we're vampires, The Doctor?" Damon asked, emphasizing his name in condescension. The Doctor looked to him.

"Well, it's obvious really." He turned to Elena. "But first I need your help with something, you and your boyfriend." He said to Elena. The Doctor went off to the kitchen immediately; provoking Elena and Damon's suspicions further and he laid a newspaper down from 1739 on their counter.

"Here." The Doctor said. "This is going to happen in three days, I want you two to come with me and help me stop this before it happens." He told them.

"Okay, wait." Damon began. The Doctor looked up at him. "I think we can deal with the fact you're alright with vampires, I think we can deal with you knowing we're vampires. But one thing, if not just that, that we're uncomfortable with –"

"You know what the inside of our house looks like." Elena interrupted. The Doctor grinned and looked at the both of them.

"It's adorable that you finish eachother's sentences. The Doctor noted. Elena smiled but looked at him seriously. "Why do you know what our house looks like from the inside?" Elena asked again.

"That's not important." The Doctor began.

"Yes it is! What if it turns out we can't trust you, and we can't feel safe in our own home?" Elena asked. The Doctor looked at her.

"Now that's one thing, Elena. If there's one thing you should do, it's trust me. Even if I give you a reason not to trust me, I wouldn't hurt you two. Not unless you deserved it, and from what you two do in your lives, I don't think you'll be getting justice for your sins."

"Well that's the thing, isn't it?" Damon protested. "We've done some pretty bad things, and all the people we've met are capable of inflicting a lot of damage. We just got settled into a really good life, we're happy, we're actually having good days with no crap to bring it down, and then you waltz in and automatically we should trust you." He said. The Doctor nodded as if it were obvious. Damon looked at Elena and then took the Doctor's shoulder.

"You don't remember being in here, you don't know me, or Elena. You're going to leave right now and forget everything that just took place." Damon told him. The Doctor looked at the both of them.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to remember all of this." The Doctor replied. Damon's eyes widened.

"What the hell are you?" He muttered after a minute

"I'm uncompellable, that's what I am, so you're not getting' rid of me. Deal with it." The Doctor commanded hem. Elena looked away in annoyance and frustration, the Doctor just grinned at them. "Now, can we get back to the crisis?" He asked.

"No, not yet." Elena protested. The Doctor looked at her in frustration.

"Prove to me that we can trust you." She decided. Damon looked at her in skepticism but Elena stared right at the Doctor, asking for a reason not to be called naïve. The man sighed.

"Fine." He said, and tromped off to Damon's closet, them trailing behind, almost telling him not to touch things but also not knowing if the warning would do any good. The Doctor took out an article about Stefan's bloodlust murders.

"These were the times he was with Klaus, am I right?" He said, staring at them. "Klaus wanted to bring Elena with after a while as to make Stefan never want to go back again but I informed him he didn't need to. I already knew by that point that you two would happen so it didn't make much difference anyway."

"Wait, you knew about his bloodlust and you didn't tell Damon or me?" Elena asked.

"What would've been the point, eh? You have enough to go through." The Doctor said, and shushed her before she could open her mouth again. The Doctor went to Elena's bed stand and looked at the letter Caroline sent her of a famous landmark in Louisiana.

"Caroline's in New Orleans now, with Klaus the hybrid, am I right?" He asked, and Damon and Elena were staring at him. "Klaus has a hybrid daughter with a werewolf who turned into a hybrid as soon as her daughter was born because a pack of witches wanted to kill the baby before it could ever grow up so they had to prevent her from protecting the baby."

"Wait, what? How did you know that?" Elena asked.

"Did not see that one coming when blondie told us." Damon admitted.

"I heard a call for help from Klaus. And from Hayley the werewolf, basically anyone who as in the situation who didn't know what in the bloody hell to do." The Doctor explained. "Turns out when I got there, there were twenty times the witches there were when Klaus fought them, they were coming from all over the world to stop the baby from being born, just because they heard a prophecy of the baby's power trumping and destroying theirs." The Doctor set the letter down and sat on the bed. "I took most of the witches with me and imprisoned them where they couldn't do the magic they desired to."

"What about Caroline though?" Elena asked.

"Caroline went to Klaus as soon as she and Stefan broke up. She knew Stefan wasn't right for her and he knew it too and so they went to different states. Stefan's still fixing cars in Tuscany and he has no reason to come back, has a girlfriend, and this one's a vampire too. Klaus introduced Caroline to his daughter Hope, and they took to eachother like a duck to water, or ducks to water, whatever. Klaus took Caroline and Hope around the world in a year and now they're living happily ever after in Klaus's compound."

"How old's Hope now?" Damon asked, knowing the answer.

"She's probably around 113 by now I'd think." The Doctor replied. Damon smiled and held out ah and to the Doctor, and he shook it in respect.

"So what's this trouble from two thousand years ago that we can't do anything about yet need to stop?" Damon asked

"It's a wedding, between Mr. Carolous Linnaeus and Miss Sara Elisabeth. They get married and he goes off to be a taxonomist. I found this paper from back in their time and learned that if we let what happens three days from now happen, everything Mr. Linnaeus did would never have happened."

"Wait, this guy dies?" Elena asked.

"Give the girl a medal." The Doctor replied happily. Damon stared at him still.

"Why do we need to care about something that happened way before even I was born that neither of us can do anything about?" He asked. The Doctor looked at Damon and glared at him.

"How do you think I know all this stuff about your friend when it's happened centuries ago, Damon?" The Doctor asked in return. Damon shrugged.

"You do your homework, I don't know. You're not a vampire, so you can't be immortal."

"Oh, can't I be?" The Doctor asked with a hard look on his face. Damon looked back at him in surprise. "I've survived much worse things than you ever did, Damon. I lost many loves, many more friends, and I lost my own planet. So don't question my motives anymore, do you understand me?" The Doctor asked. Elena shook her head in confusion.

"Okay I'm confused." The Doctor looked at her. "So, you're an alien?" She asked. The Doctor nodded.

"Yep."

"And you've been through so much, so, how old are you? A thousand years? Two?"

"I'm getting close to a thousand years." He replied.

"But, we fought people that were definitely a thousand years old. Do you know about them? Did you meet them?"

"Yeah, sure. Not the warmest people but not all people are." The Doctor replied.

"So how you can be younger than them and still outlive them?" Elena asked.

"It's a time-thing. I'm time-travelling, to put it frankly. And so I'm getting to be old enough to outlive these people yet I'm not older than them." The Doctor replied. Elena looked away and opened her mouth again.

"Wait, Elena." Damon cut in, she looked at him.

"If he can't explain it in one go who's to say he can explain it all?" He suggested.

"Thank you, my friend." The Doctor replied.

"So who's this dude we have to save?" Damon asked. The Doctor shook his head and began explaining, skimming down the paper with his fingers, telling them what he needed them to do and what he'd do in order to stop the bad thing from ever happening.

"Wait, there's going to be a giant bee that's gonna try and kill him? Why would a giant bee kill him and how is there such a thing?" Damon asked.

"Oh, you're an immortal vampire that knows a werewolf-vampire hybrid family and a witch or two but you can't believe there's a giant bee out there?" The Doctor asked. He shrugged.

"It's a bit of a leap, don't you think?" Damon suggested in annoyance.

"Well it's not going to change Carolous's death any, stop your nagging." The Doctor told him curtly.

* * *

Damon looked at the picture of him and Elena dressed like they were in Carolous's century, Elena in a low-scoop dress with a cute hat, him in a tight suit with the knee-high socks, he didn't miss those clothes he wore. Elena's on the other hand…but it was fun to dress up with her, pretend they'd been together that long. The Doctor just needed a picture or two of them, because for some reason when he stepped in before his psychic paper, whatever the hell that was, wouldn't work. The odd thing was the Doctor kept humming a song, when they were getting their work done, when there was a quiet moment. Odder still was Elena was humming along with him, as if she didn't realize she was doing it. Wasn't concerning to him by any stretch, although trusting the Doctor fully was as wise as trusting a Ripper Stefan. But Damon still had a ring in his pocket the whole time they were on their mission. But he did want to know what that was all about.

'What's going on with you and the Doctor?' He'd asked. Elena had looked away, as if she was worried he'd go off the deep end and be the Damon he wasn't any longer.

'I guess I knew him before. I don't know how, but I did.' Was all she'd said, staring at him expectedly.

'Okay.' He'd decided. Elena had looked him up and down.

'Really? You're not jealous? I mean, I honestly don't know if we had a thing or not.'

'Well, if he was a good as I am, then you wouldn't be with me right now, would you' He said matter-of-factly. 'Besides, you're the love of my life, don't you think I'd trust you?' He asked. Elena smiled, and he did as well, cherishing the moment for the both of them. Not to let them have more than a minute, the Doctor came back and was looking at them expectedly.

Since the Doctor needed their help they'd gotten married, finally. After a nervous conversation in the living room where Damon couldn't figure out where to put the ring and Elena was trying to figure out what was wrong with him. It only took him dying and regaining her love and all the other things they went through, and a new mission for them to get this far. Stefan has actually been okay with being the best man, although Damon wouldn't have forced him to anyway. Jeremy came back from art school to be his second, and the ring bearer. Obviously Caroline and Bonnie were Elena's bridesmaids, and surprisingly Enzo was Bonnie's date to the thing, Klaus came as well.

Care and Bonnie almost looked as gorgeous as Elena did in that dress. Ooh, that dress. And the fact that she was wearing that dress, and walking down the aisle to him, made him feel like his fulfilled life became more than he'd ever dreamed times a thousand. Damon pulled out the wedding picture of them together and noticed how different they looked from their first encounter to their wedding day. He remembered how he couldn't believe he could ever be happier, but by god he was, during the honeymoon. He smiled at the memory and congratulated himself. He got the girl.

Elena came in the room with a look on her face.

"Hello, my bride." Damon greeted with a grin. She grinned as well.

"You're in a good mood."

"I always am, you said yes." Damon replied, and she giggled, standing before him.

"Well, I have some news for you." She said.

"Report away." He said, then pulled on Elena's arm and she fell in his lap, giggling. He laughed with her and she held onto him while he kissed her neck and face, up until someone cleared their throat. Damon looked up from Elena's jugular and saw a familiar face.

"You." He breathed. The Doctor nodded. "You're the news?" Damon asked, looking from him to Elena. She nodded and held onto his shoulders still.

"I have to tell you something." The Doctor said.

"Well, go ahead." Damon replied, Elena staring at the Doctor as well. He looked down and Damon could tell from the look on his face this was not going to be good news and his expression darkened. "And we were having such a good day." He murmured under his breath. Elena looked at him in surprise and then at the Doctor.

"I'd prefer talking about it in your study." He told Damon. Elena slid off his lap and he held onto her hand as they let the Doctor lead the way into their study as if he'd never forgotten the way.

"I didn't know for sure but I wanted to ask you to see what your opinion was." The Doctor replied.

"Well you know what my opinion is now." Damon replied. Elena stared at Damon's pained expression.

"Damon, what are you talking about?" She asked.

"It's us." Was all he would say. He leaned on the table and Elena shook his arm. She took a breath a put her head on his shoulder.

"Well, okay if that's us, then at least we would die doing the right thing." She decided. Damon looked at her. She stared back at him. "At least this time we'll die together, right?" She asked. He nodded and kissed her forehead, taking her into his arms. The Doctor let them have this moment. He didn't know if it was one of their last, but if they could be in love the way they are now till the day they die, he would not regret it. Elena turned her head and she cuddled onto Damon's chest and looked at the Doctor.

"How long do we have?" She asked. The Doctor's eyebrows rose

"About twenty years." He said. She picked her head up from Damon's chest and Damon let Elena go.

"You decide to come tell us we're going to die in twenty years so we can tiptoe around the subject on eggshells for the rest of the time?" Damon accused him

"Believe me, I wasn't trying to make you look over your shoulder for the next quarter of a century, but I had to warn ya, if I didn't I would never forgive myself. I thought I was closer to that time than I was, but I had no control over the time." The Doctor replied.


	2. And We Were Having Such a Nice Day

Damon looked at the picture of him and Elena dressed like they were in Carolous's century, Elena in a low-scoop dress with a cute hat, him in a tight suit with the knee-high socks…he didn't miss those clothes. Elena's on the other hand; it was fun to dress up with her, pretend they'd been together that long. The Doctor just needed a picture or two of them, because for some reason when he stepped in before his psychic paper, whatever the hell that was, wouldn't work. The oddest thing was the Doctor kept humming a song, when they were getting their done, when there was a quiet moment. Odder still was Elena was humming along with him, not realizing she was doing it. It wasn't concerning him by any stretch, because he had a ring in his pocket the whole time they were on their mission. But he did want to know what that was all about.

"What's going on with you and the Doctor?" He'd asked. Elena looked away, thinking about it

"I guess I knew him before. I don't know how, but I did." She replied concernedly. Then she stared at him, wondering what would go through his mind.

"Okay." Damon replied. Elena stared at him.

"Really? You're not jealous or something? I don't know if we had a relationship or not; if he can compel that might've happened." She said.

"Well if he was as good as I am, then you wouldn't be with me right now, would you?" He asked teasingly. "Besides, you're the love of my life; don't you think I'd trust you a little bit?" He added. She smiled and he returned it, cherishing their moment. The Doctor had been such a part of their lives when he needed them before; they had to savor the small moments because that was really all they got. The Doctor came back and they turned to him, he looked at the both of them expectantly.

Since the Doctor had needed their help, they'd gotten married. Finally. It only took him dying and regaining her love and all the other things, and a new mission for them to be on for them to get this far. Stefan had actually been okay with being the best man. Jeremy came back from art school to be Damon's second best man and held onto the rings. Obviously Caroline and Bonnie were Elena's bridesmaids, they almost looked as gorgeous as Elena did in that dress, although Klaus had argued with him about that. Oh that dress Elena wore to marry him. Damon pulled out the wedding picture of them together and noticed how different they looked from their first encounter to their wedding day. He remembered how happy he was and not believing he could be happier, ever. But by God he was, when they got to the honeymoon. He smiled at the memory.

Elena came in the room with a look on her face.

"Hello, my bride." Damon greeted her with a grin. She grinned as well.

"You're in a good mood."

"I always am, you said yes." He replied and she giggled, standing before him.

"Well, I have some news for you." She said.

"Report away, lovely wife," Damon said, then pulled at Elena's arm and she fell into his lap, giggling even more. She grinned and held onto him while he kissed her neck and face, and she captured his lips in her own, forgetting her announcement as they started to makeout. Up until someone cleared his throat. Damon looked up from Elena's jugular and saw a familiar face.

"You." He breathed. The man nodded. "You're the news?" Damon asked, looking from him to Elena. She nodded and held onto his shoulders with one arm.

"I have to tell you something." The Doctor said.

"Well, go ahead." Damon replied, Elena staring at the Doctor as well. He looked down and Damon could tell from the look on his face this was not going to be good news and his expression darkened. "And we were having such a good day." He murmured sardonically under his breath. Elena looked at him in surprise and then at the Doctor.

"I'd prefer talking in your study." He told Damon. Elena slid off his lap and he held onto her hand as they let the Doctor lead the way into their study' he never forgot the way.

The Doctor pulled out a newspaper from his leather jacket and laid it on the table, opening it to the article he was going to tell them about. Elena smoothed t out and they read the headline. 'Fifteen Souls Lost in Church Fire." Damon looked away and glared at the Doctor.

"I'd prefer you to tell me what's in the article instead of my having to read about it." Damon said sarcastically. The Doctor straightened himself up and looked Damon in the eye.

"It seems a particular couple had been caught in the fire too, trying to save everyone before burning themselves. There had been fifty people in there when the fire started, and only fifteen had either refused to go or wanted to be heroes themselves and wouldn't go until after the couple did." He explained. Damon slumped against the table and continued glaring at the Doctor, who just stared back at him with sad eyes. Elena looked from him to the Doctor and back again.

"What?" She asked.

"That couple is us, isn't it?" Damon asked the Doctor. Elena stared at the Doctor in fright.

"I didn't know for sure but I wanted to ask you to see what your opinion as." The Doctor replied.

"Well you know what my opinion is now." Damon replied sarcastically. Elena stared at Damon's pained expression.

"Damon, what are you talking about?" She asked.

"It's us." Was all he replied. He leaned on the table and Elena took his arm. She took a breath and put her head on his shoulder.

"Well, okay if that's us, then at least we die doing the right thing." She decided. Damon looked at her. She stared back at him. "At least this time we'll die together, right?" She asked. He nodded and kissed her forehead, taking her in his arms. The Doctor let them have this moment. He didn't know if it was one of their last, but it they could be in love the way they are no till the day they die, he would not regret it. Elena turned her head as she cuddled on Damon's chest and looked at the Doctor.

"How long do we have?" she asked. The Doctor's eyebrows rose

"About twenty years." He said. She picked her head up from Damon's chest and Damon let Elena go.

"You decide to come tell us we're going to die in twenty years so we can tiptoe around the subject on eggshells for the rest of the time?" Damon accused

"Believe me, I wasn't trying to make you look over your shoulder for the next quarter of a century, but I had to warn ya, if I didn't I would never forgive myself. I thought I was closer to that time that I was, but I had no control over the time." The Doctor replied.


	3. The Moment Has Arrived

Over the next few years, Elena and Damon made the most of the time they had together. They fought like crazy but made up just as easily and spend the next few days in bed afterwards, starting the whole process over. Elena came to believe Damon when he said he made 'one hell of a naked breakfast'. They never missed the opportunity to tell the people they loved how they felt and made memories with them when they could. They didn't tell anyone what was going to happen in case it wasn't true. And they were ready to die in case it actually was. God knows Stefan would try to stop them if they let one thing slip. So they were extra careful to try and not act suspicious. Elena spent time with Jeremy when she could, told Caroline how much she appreciated her and loved her every time she could in situations were it wouldn't be awkward, and Damon spent time with his brother and mother, they were becoming a family again. If that's what one could call it when the mother couldn't love her own children anymore. Regardless, the messy lives that Elena and Damon led together and away from each other were stitching up like pieces of a puzzle. As if this was meant to happen. Maybe the Doctor's ship had come at just the right time after all.

It was the day after one of Damon and Elena's fights; they didn't want to lose each other and were overly paranoid that it was becoming reality when in truth they'd never been closer, and they were holding each other in their arms, under the covers, just reveling in the sound of unneeded breathing, the morning sunlight falling on each other's skin and hair. They planned to spend the day like this, like they'd done before a few times. Lying in bed, making love and just enjoying the silence. Then there came the noise they'd grown used to listening for. It was time. They looked at each other.

"I love you." Elena told him. Damon nodded.

"I love you too." He replied. They kissed once, long and deep, and then hurried to get dressed before the Doctor came to their door. He'd promised he was going to look after them and try his hardest to keep what he read about from happening. Soon they were dressed and then they stood across from each other in Damon's bedroom, just staring at each other. Then they walked towards each other and embraced, burying their faces in each other's hair and neck. Elena wouldn't be surprised if the Doctor walked in right then and witnessed their moment, but when he didn't she knew he wanted to give them as much time as they could possibly have. Elena pulled back and Damon looked up at her, staring back into her eyes as she was staring into his. Then he touched her hair.

"It's time." He murmured. She nodded, and numbly turned around. She led him out of the bedroom and they walked to the Doctor who was standing at their entrance, looking after them. The face he wore broke Elena's heart. But after a minute of silence, there was nothing she could say, she thought, that would take the sad eyes from his face.

"Oh cheer up!" The Doctor said suddenly, meeting Damon and Elena's hard eyes with a grin. "Whatever's going to happen hasn't happened yet. You're not dead so act like it."

"Well, technically…." Elena began

"Whatever. Are we ready to go or do we want to chat for a bit more? Still have a few more minutes." The Doctor offered. Damon looked at Elena expectantly.

"Why are you looking at me?" She asked.

"I already made my choice, your turn." He replied. She stared at him and then the Doctor

"I want to go now, have some sort of plan so that we can try and survive." She said. Damon squeezed her hand and she knew he'd been thinking the same thing.


	4. Happily Ever After After All

Elena and Damon entered the church in the same clothes as they had when they did their little photoshoot for the Doctor. Only this time, they were pretending to be from this era. Where bathrooms were less sanitary, and there were still witch hunts. Lovely. Damon and Elena had agreed to go along with everyone else until they figured out when to search for those people they were going to save or die trying. Every so often, they looked at each other much like they had before driving into The Grill. 'I love you', over and over. They sat together in one of the middle pews on the left side, looking as antsy as one afraid to be spotted. Soon they realized it and just gripped each other's hands to comfort each other through their fear and panic. Then the sermon started. Redemption. Faith. Reverence. Prayer, Communion. The mass was coming to the priest, one by one, when someone uttered a cry and they knew it was starting.

A flame licked up the side of the wall, and some men tried taking their jackets off and pushing the flames out of existence, but it just made the flames bigger. People started screaming at the mass emptied the room quickly; quickly enough that it was a stampede, trampling three people under their feet. Elena rushed to the aid of one man and his sister, who thanked her, looked at her strangely, and ran out. She looked after them, not knowing what that was about, until a beam hit her head that had fallen from the flames.

"Elena!" Damon yelled, and ran to her, throwing the beam away before the fire could reach her. She stared at him and they embraced quickly.

"You're not supposed to use my real name right now." She huffed with her face buried in his neck.

"Sue me, we might be about to die, time for following the damn rules is gone out the window." Damon muttered in reply. He pulled away slowly and they kissed one more time before going to help others who needed aid getting away from the church. A little girl had gotten trapped under a pew when a large beam fell and blocked her exit. Damon kicked it away and tenderly helped the girl from the pew, kneeling before her to check to see if she'd been burned. The girl stared at him as she stood before him.

"Are your parents out there, sweetie?" Damon asked her gently. She continued to stare at him.

"Your wife helped my parents out already." The girl mumbled. Damon knew what that meant. They hadn't looked for her. They hadn't tried to save anyone but themselves.

"If you want my opinion, you're better off without them." Damon told her and she nodded, a tear running down her cheek. He brushed it off. "Although quite honestly I don't know how you'd fend for yourself." Damon added. The girl hugged him and he froze, and then hugged her back, patting her back and brushing her hair slightly. He stood up and led the girl to the exit that was surprisingly still clear. He pushed the girl toward it and she looked back for him, as he did for her. He nodded that she should go, and smiled slightly in reassurance. The girl disappeared and he went off to rescue two more people from the flames, and did so. When he could find no one else who needed help, he looked back at Elena, who stared at him with shining eyes and a smile. She'd just helped free a woman from another falling beam, and so they came to meet, the woman joining them.

"Is that everybody?" He yelled over the flames.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't think anybody would be in the cellar or the attic." Elena yelled a reply. Damon looked at her in surprise and the woman fled the flames before she could offer thanks.

"Look at you trying to blend in." He said with a smile. Elena smiled in return. They looked around. "We should check and see if anyone went to the cellar or attic, we don't want to end up doing this again." Damon added. Elena nodded and they sped to the attic quickly, found no one, and went to the basement, finding the water the Doctor had been talking about. Damon took the holy water and they went upstairs to meet the exit being blocked. Damon and Elena looked at each other and he flung the water at the flames, hearing it sizzle and leaving the exit open. Elena flung the door open, crying out at the burning sensation but as Damon went to help her she pulled him out of the door with her before another beam came crashing down. They walked away from the church, panting and staring at the flames, and a few of the survivors that had stayed, other they'd helped, cheered for them. They turned around and looked at each other, smiling. The little girl Damon had helped came up to him and hugged him. He hugged her back. When he let go the girl stayed standing before him.

"What was your name?" Damon asked.

"Elisabeth." The girl replied. He held out his hand.

"Damon." He replied. The girl looked at him strangely but took his hand.

"Do we not greet people with shaking hands in the 1700s?" Damon muttered to Elena.

"No, it's just that your name's from Rome, and we're in Sweden." She replied, and then smiled at the girl, not noticing that Damon was smiling at her. Elisabeth smiled back at Elena. The girl looked at the both of them.

"My parents left after you saved them from the fire, they're not here." Elisabeth told Elena.

"Would they be at your house?" Elena asked. The girl looked away.

"They left her in there to die, Elena; she doesn't want to go look for them." Damon muttered to her. Elena looked at the girl.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Elena apologized profusely and the girl shrugged.

"Where do you live?" The girl asked. Damon and Elena stared at the girl and then at eachother.

"We can't take her with us." Elena said.

"Why not? She's got no family that wants her and her staying with us is possibly the safest thing for her." Damon replied.

"The Doctor told us we can't bring anyone back." Elena said.

"And since when have we listened to stupid rules when it came to doing the right thing?" Damon asked. Elena sighed. She looked at Elisabeth, who stared back at her with big dark eyes.

"We'll take you with us, Elisabeth. But you have to swear, you won't go wandering off. Stick to us, okay?" Elena said. Damon smiled and Elisabeth nodded. Damon offered his hand to the girl and Elena led them back to the Tardis.

The Doctor was there waiting for them with a cloudy look in his eye. But when he saw Elena and Damon looked alright, he grinned, and hugged them both. Elena hugged him back and Damon slapped his shoulder appreciatively.

"Job well done I must say." The Doctor said with a grin. Elena smiled and then showed a little girl had been hiding behind them. The Doctor looked at her, his grin fading.

"What have you done?" The Doctor asked, and then pointed his screwdriver right at the girl's face. Elena and Damon looked at him incredulously and shielded her from the sonic buzz.

"What is your problem?" Damon demanded, the Doctor looked at him briefly and then stared at where Elisabeth stood, staring at him with blank dark eyes. "She just almost died in a church fire, her parents left her in there to die, and then you're pointing that stupid screwdriver in her face?" Damon asked.

"She's been through enough." Elena agreed with a snarl. The Doctor looked at her.

"Not until I say so." He replied, and Elena looked at him with suspicion.

"This is the thing that tried to kill you two." The Doctor told them. Elena gaped and Damon stared at him with wide eyes.

Elena turned around and looked at the girl who stared up at her with the same dark eyes, her expression unchanged despite just being called a 'thing'. She looked at Damon who was staring at the girl's face as well.

"Elisabeth," Damon began. "how did you get under that pew?" He asked. Elisabeth looked at Damon and suddenly her expression clouded. Elena gripped his arm protectively.

"I wasn't counting on you noticing me under that pew so quickly." The girl said. Damon stared incredulously at her. "Much less wanting to come and save me." She added.

"Why did you want to kill us." Damon croaked.

"You doppelgangers are so clueless." Elisabeth hissed. Damon looked at Elena and back at the girl. "The longer you copies are around, the more time it takes for us wasps, to go through our generation. The more time it takes for a generation of wasps on Earth to complete that circle of life, the less power we have next time."

"Doppelgangers have power just by existing and therefore drain the wasps' power." The Doctor muttered. He pulled Elena and Damon into the Tardis and Elisabeth started smiling, buzzing, and had transformed into a giant wasp. Damon stared through the door's window and Elena stood by his side, gripping his arm. They watched Elisabeth the giant wasp duel with the Doctor, her stinger pointed right at him. Damon stared out the window and cursed under his breath, Elena staring at the wasp as well.

"Screw it." He muttered, and unlocked the door, Elena followed him. The Doctor looked behind him and stared at the two with fright.

"I pushed you into the Tardis for a reason!" The Doctor protested.

"Yeah and you aren't getting anywhere, what can we do to get her out of here?" Damon asked. Elena went off towards a tree, luckily without Elisabeth seeing her. Damon looked at the Doctor still.

"Water, but there's no water around. That and her stinger's too close for me to do much." The Doctor replied.

"You didn't think this out too well did you." Damon criticized.

"Well if you have an idea I'm all for it." The Doctor cried. They stood there and watched as Elena ran up with a wooden bucket in her hands and splashed Elisabeth, who glared at her with its dark eyes

"Hey" The Doctor yelled, Elisabeth looked at him. "That's what you get for trying to hurt me and my friends. If you don't want to get splashed again, fly away." He commanded. Elisabeth looked at Elena, then the Doctor, and flew away, water dripping from its abdomen. Damon stared at Elena, who stared back at him.

"Well that was good." Damon noted and Elena smiled, dropping the bucket. They embraced and The Doctor led them into the Tardis.

The Doctor knew they needed a minute alone and so when he got the Tardis started he offered to leave the room, but Elena just asked where another good one would be. After, they went to the library.

Damon turned and Elena helped him land on another wall. She stood there, watching his wounded face, and rubbed his arm.

"That's what I get for caring about someone for no real reason." Damon muttered. He looked around.

"You did a good thing, saving Elisabeth; it's not your fault you didn't know what she was." Elena soothed. Damon nodded and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you still." She added.

"For getting emotionally invested in a giant bug?" Damon asked.

"For wanting to take her in." Elena replied. Damon looked at her. "I didn't think you liked kids that much." She said. Damon shrugged.

"When I rescued her, and she told me her parents left her there to die, I sorta saw myself in her." Damon replied. Elena took his face in her hand, confused.

"I don't understand, your parents never left you alone. You had Stefan, too." Elena replied.

"Not for a while." Damon said. "But that's not what I meant." He added. Elena cocked her head to the side, ready for him to explain. "I saw the person I was when I was in love with Katherine, in her eyes. Loving someone who didn't want me, only to find out when I needed her the most." He replied.

"I thought you'd gotten over her." Elena muttered. Damon laughed lightly.

"Of course I have, babe, I wouldn't have asked you to be my wife if I was still hung up on dead-doppelganger Katherine." Damon replied.

"Then why was Elisabeth so important to you?" Elena asked.

"Because I wanted to be able to help someone who went through what I did. I thought I was doing some good." Damon replied. Elena studied him as he looked away and she gave him a look.

"You did, Damon. If Elisabeth actually had been abandoned by her parents, and was a normal child who'd nearly died, you would've helped someone. Just because it turned out to be a lie doesn't mean your actions were too." Elena replied. Damon smiled appreciatively at her and she put her head on his shoulder again. He kissed her head and she hugged him. Soon after the Doctor came to tell them they'd arrived back home.


	5. You Know They're Riding to the Sunset

The Doctor stood in front of the door to the Tardis, nervous in front of two of his friends. Elena smiled at him the same as he had done when he'd stood at her door, and he was suddenly grateful for wanting to jog her memory. She was a good person, and although she might not recognize him the next time he needed her help, if he did; he knew she would help, and that she'd always be worried about him. The Doctor looked at the both of them standing beside each other, and how perfectly they fit.

"What will you do now?" She asked.

"Oh, go places, do things, save people." He replied nervously. "Not sure about it otherwise." He admitted. "Elena continued beaming at him and took his sleeve in her hand.

"Well, I hope you'll be alright by the end of whatever it is you end up doing." She replied. The Doctor smiled at her and kissed her cheek. He pulled away and stared at her.

"I'll miss you Misses Elena Salvatore." He said and she stared back at him.

"I never got the chance to ask. When you showed up at our door, you acted like you already knew me. Did you?" She asked. The Doctor smiled.

"Yes, I did. Back when I had a different face." He replied. Elena stared at him in confusion. "It was before you were a vampire. A little before you found Stefan and Damon, too. I was at one of your father's parties, and we ended up talking because I wasn't there for fun, I was there to stop a shapeshifter. He was trying to take over the town and I enlisted your help, we stopped the bugger before he ever got his votes for mayor. And then I thanked you and took your memories of the man being a shapeshifter, but you wouldn't have forgotten my face." He explained. Elena studied him for a second and then hugged him.

"Thank you." She said  
"No problem." The Doctor replied and then Elena pulled away, and Damon held out a hand to him. The Doctor took it in surprise and shook it. Then Damon let his hand go, and the Doctor got a proper look at Damon and Elena, side by side. This was the couple that just saved people from dying in a church, and they did it together.

"You two," he wowed. "you two are meant to be together. And that's coming from a Timelord." He said and looked at Damon. "You were inspired by your love to do the right thing and save those people," then he turned to Elena. "and so were you." He added. Elena beamed at him and looked at Damon who smiled back at her. "You two are soulmates. And I'd know. Having a soulmate myself and all." Elena looked at him. "Found her while she was having trouble with some cybermen. I convinced her to not kill the woman who set them on her, and that's saying something."

"Oh, you mean River?" Elena asked. The Doctor turned around and faced the door, then as he was about to open it he looked back.

"Don't forget to keep cherishing each other." He murmured to them and then opened the door, closing it after him.

* * *

I know the River part didn't make much sense, as River didn't come into the Doctor's timeline until Nine, but now with River meeting earlier versions of the Doctor and all, maybe it's not so far-fetched. I did have a dream about this after all, more often than not these little tidbits don't make sense.

Thank you for Reading!


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